Why merchants leave Shopify
- Cost: every extra feature is another app with a monthly fee, plus transaction fees if you don't use Shopify Payments.
- Limits: special pricing, B2B features or integrations with your own systems are only partly possible.
- Control: URL structure, checkout and parts of the code are fixed.
- Independence: your shop runs on a vendor's platform whose prices and rules you can't influence.
Whether a move makes sense for you is covered in WooCommerce or Shopify.
The migration in seven steps
1. Inventory
We list products, variants, collections, customers, orders, pages and blog posts – and every app with its functions. For each app we decide whether WooCommerce does it out of the box, whether a good plugin exists or whether it needs custom code.
2. Set up the new shop
We install WordPress and WooCommerce on suitable hosting, including payments, shipping rules, taxes and legal pages. The design is either carried over or refreshed.
3. Transfer data
Products with variants, images and descriptions, customer accounts and – for history – orders are transferred. We spot-check prices, variants and stock.
4. URLs and redirects
For every old URL we create a 301 redirect to the matching new page – otherwise you lose rankings and links.
5. Carry over SEO data
Page titles, descriptions, image alt texts and structured data are carried over or improved. After launch we submit the new sitemap in Google Search Console.
6. Test
Test orders with every payment method, emails, invoices, coupons, shipping calculation and mobile display – before a real customer sees the new shop.
7. Switch and follow up
On launch day we point the domain to the new shop, activate the redirects and tell customers about their new account. In the weeks after, we watch orders, error pages and rankings.
Things to know in advance
- Passwords: customers set a new password after the move because Shopify doesn't export them.
- Subscriptions: running subscriptions with stored payment details can't always be moved directly; we clarify this with your payment provider.
- Gift cards: open gift cards must be carried over or remain redeemable another way.
As developers of more than 30 WooCommerce plugins, we know WooCommerce down to the code and build missing features ourselves. More under WooCommerce development.
Replacing Shopify apps with WooCommerce plugins
Many features that run on paid apps in Shopify exist as WooCommerce plugins – often with a one-time license instead of monthly fees. Typical examples:
- Reviews and product questions
- Product filters and search
- PDF invoices and e-invoices
- Wishlists and product comparisons
- Multiple stock locations and inventory management
- Discounts, tiered pricing and reward points
Before the move, we list all the apps you use today and map each one to a solution in WooCommerce. Some of them we develop ourselves and therefore know in detail.
What a migration costs
The cost depends mainly on the number of products and variants, data quality, design and the features you need. Hosting and, where applicable, plugin licenses come on top. On the other side are the monthly Shopify and app fees you save. After the inventory, you receive a fixed-price quote and an overview of the ongoing costs after the move.